After some EQ, both boxes were much improved, however the ZX5A still fell apart at high SPL. The HF just simply fell apart. It was harsh to say the least. The box sounds great at low levels, but it needs a good bit of EQ to hold together at high volumes. The horn simply outruns the single 15, by a lot! I didn't have enough time to really dig into it and really EQ everything out, so I can't comment much else.

The HD1531 on the other hand held itself together very well at high SPL. Even as we ran into the limiters, it stayed clean, and solid. It has an "in your face" sound to it. It's not harsh, it's just right there. I did notice a little distortion on the 15" on some of the bass heavy songs, but that was well into the limiters at that point. When running with a sub, there is no distortion.

And that's pretty much it. For the size/weight, the EV box is great. But, it's going to require a lot of extra EQ to really shine. The Mackie box is bigger, and heavier, but it sounds a lot better and holds together much better at high SPL.

We also did briefly listen to the QSC K10. I actually think it sounds better then it's bigger brother. The K10 needed some EQ as well because the horn was quite hot, but it's not a bad little utility box at all. It simply didn't have the get up and go that the ZX5A and HD1531 had, so we didn't include it in our tests.

The JTR Triple 12/Orbit Shifter were also part of the tests, but that's for another thread.

To my ears, at moderate volume levels I vastly preferred the ZXA5's crisp, clear open sound to the Mackie's. At really loud volumes, the Mackie's really came into their own and seemed much more balanced and smooth. The ZXA5's became painfully harsh.